Paro Tsechu is a famous festival celebrated in Bhutan. The major attraction of this festival is the dance performances by the specially trained monks in beautiful and amazing masks and costumes. Paro Tsechu is the best way to know the culture of Bhutan people and their traditions. Actually, this festival held in honor of Guru Rimpoche, the saint who introduced Buddhism in Bhutan.

This festival will be carried out in five days and the dates will be fixed according to the Bhutanese lunar month. The 10th day of 2nd Bhutanese lunar month is the starting date for the venue of the festival and the 15th day of the lunar month is ending date.

History of the Paro Tsechu

History of this Paro Tsechu has happened at the time of 8th to 9th century. Padmasambhava is a great scholar who was very interested to convert the opponents of Buddhism by performing rituals and lastly by a dance performance he subjugates the local gods or spirits. Once upon a time, the king of Bhutan health is not fine. Padmasambhava came to Bhutan to treat the dying king Sindhu Raja.

Must read: History Of Bhutan

Sindhu Raja recovered and grateful to Padmasambhava and helped him in spreading Buddhism in Bhutan. The first Tsechu was celebrated under Padmasambhava in Bumthang, here you can see the eight manifestations of Padmasambhava.

Traditions of Paro Tsechu

Paro Tsechu is the best festival to know and see the traditions of the Bhutanese. The main attraction of this festival is cham dances, covered faces with masks. Here at this festival, you will be attracted to Bhutan’s rich traditions and cultures. The major traditional attraction of this festival is their dressing styles.

An interesting ritual of Paro Tsechu is the unfurling the Silk Thangka on the final day. It will be so large and it covers the face of the entire building with the pictures of seated Padmasambhava rounded by holy beings. The Thangka will be rolled down by the morning and will be raised before sunrise. The belief of this Thangka is the one who sees it the sins of the person being cleansed.

In Paro Tsechu you can see various traditions and customs of Bhutanese which are being followed from the 9th century.

The Significance of the Five Days

Totally, this festival will be held for five days. And each day was special with different proceedings and activities. On the first day of the festival, pre-festival rituals will be carried out. And on the second day, monks will perform the Shingje Yab Yum inside the Paro Dzong. It is said to be the dance of the lord of death (Shingje). This is the event will be taken place inside the Paro Dzong.

Suggested Tour: 5 Day Highlights Of Bhutan Tour

The remaining three days will be celebrated on the festival grounds. Monks and other people participate in different dances and dramas. The main attraction is people cover their faces with silk masks and costumes. Here during the festival, you can experience the sounds of trumpets, flutes, cymbals and the shows of the triumph between evil and good etc.

On these holy days, people are dressed well in the traditional dress of finery flock. They will praise their god with a kind heart to wish them for good.

Dances

Paro Tsechu is a dance festival, at this festival, you can see many dance performances which depict the culture and traditions of Bhutan. Dance performances will be taken place on the priority of that day. Here are some famous dances of this festival are Dance of the Four Stags (Sha Tsam), The Black Hat Dance (Shana), Dance of the Drums from Dramitse (Dramitse Ngacham), and the Dance of the Terrifying Deities (Tungam) etc.

These are some popular dances in Paro Tsechu and there are a lot more. You can see many variations in these dance performs which are perfect examples of Bhutanese culture and traditions.

Tour Packages

We at Travelogy India provides tour packages for this festival. It will be easy to reach Paro Tsechu for the foreigners and neighbor country people through these packages. Each package will be extended to 9 days or 7 days etc.

Popular Bhutan Tour Packages :

• 4 Day Bhutan Tour
• 8 Days Bhutan Tour – The Himalayan Splendor
• 8 Days – Bhutan Itinerary (Gangtey Trek)
• 11 Days Bhutan Tour – An Enchanting Relam

With these tour packages, you can visit some tourist places near Paro, Bhutan. Some common places that will be rounded in tour packages are Thimpu, Phobjikha valley, Punakha etc. Itineraries will be different with different tour packages.

Conclusion

It is the end of Paro Tsechu in Bhutan. Paro Tsechu is the best festival to know more about Bhutan traditions and customs. And during this festival more number of tourists will visit the country of Bhutan. That’s the greatness of Paro Tsechu, So whenever you plan to visit Bhutan try to visit during the festival time.

Must Read : Famous Festivals Of Bhutan

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